Updating my graphics card

[matt1314]

Well, yeah. A bit off-topic here. But nevertheless. I opened my system again to show how it looks like and if it's possible to get that HD 5770 into my system. Here 7 pics:









So, is that enough space etc.?

Edit: And a little video:

https://s300.photobucket.com/albums/nn22 ... 277317.flv

[Franch88]

Nice photos, thanks for them, is really clear how's the situation inside your system case. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 has a lenght of 22 centimeters, while your Nvidia GeForce GT 120 lenght should be included between 15 and 20 centimeters, you can measure it. Another difference is that this graphic card has an height that will let you use two slots, instead of one like that Nvidia model. There isn't a space problem seeing your photos, also if those wires give a bit of space problem with a more long graphic card, but sure they can be better placed, and especially some from the PSU will be different with a different one.
With the ATI Radeon HD 5770, a mainstream level graphic card, you'll get a lot of performances with the games, becasue that Nvidia graphic card is an entry level one really bad to play games decently. This is a really good graphic card, suggested to play also some recent games with a maximum screen resolution of 1280x1024 pixels without bad lagging problems; is important to know which is the screen resolution that you use with games. Here's an image of this graphic card, if you haven't still seen it; here the version by Sapphire.
With this ATI graphic card you must change your PSU, no way to keep your crappy and little powerful one, buy at least a 500-550 Watts model.
For both you can spend a maximum of 250 Euro.

No problem for the off-topic.

[matt1314]

Oh, but I thought before, that I can keep my PSU with 300W to get the HD 5770 and there wasn't any need to get a more powerful one. But if I get a 500-550W PSU, then I also can get the HD 4870, maybe it's more powerful, than the HD 5770.

I've seen, how it looks like. But I also found this version:



What is actually the difference between these versions, like one by Asus, one by Sapphire, one by Crossfire or something else? And where could I get a tutorial on how to build in the new graphics card and a new PSU so that they work how they should? I don't have a clue on how to do that (connect all these cables (HDMI, VGA, DVI), adapters etc.) and I'm afraid of doing something wrong and even damaging something...

[Zac4084]

When your putting it in, touch an unpainted part of the case to ground yourself, or you will damage something. Looks good. I recommend getting a air duster, losts of dust.

[matt1314]

Thanks for the tip. I guess my current PSU is this one:



A Bestec ATX-300-12ZCDR - 300 Watt ATX Power Supply.

[Franch88]

The ATI Radeon HD 4870 is the older generation of ATI graphic cards, and I wouldn't recommend it now. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 supports the DirectX 11, instead the other the 10.1 version, and has pretty the same performances.
Asus, Sapphire, etc. are the partners of the ATI that sells the graphic cards produced by it most of the times with customizations. Crossfire is the technology to connect two or more graphic cards to let them work together, getting more performances with the games. Change the PSU and the graphic card is something easy, I've done bunch of times, all is change them, placing them in the same way, only for the graphic card is needed to attach the adjunctive power connector, not present in your current one. You can well find a tutorial on how to that or about how assembly a computer.
Yours is a really cheap model, is always so in brands systems sold in shops.

[Zac4084]

Well the question is are you really that of a gamer? 1GB of ram for the card is enough IMO. I say stick with it and avoid problems. I wonder if you should go to a big gaming forum and ask, they should know. I agree with Franch. The newer ones have best technology.

[matt1314]

Okay, so I will get the HD 5770. I'm going to start searching for a tutorial on how to attach that adjunctive power connector and I hope I'll manage to do that correctly. So better get that completely original HD 5770 and not from Asus, Sapphire etc., right? I read in some feedback reports of that card on Amazon and some people said, that this card loses power throughout the year and that it won't be so powerful at the end of the year, as it was at the beginning.

The only thing I'm worrying about is the PSU. I need one, which clearly suits and that the dimensions are nearly the same ones, like of my current one.

@Zac: Well, I'm not really that a big gamer, but I sure need some good power of the graphics card to try out the new games.

[Franch88]

So better get that completely original HD 5770 and not from Asus, Sapphire etc., right?

Is really hard find the original graphic card by ATI, but is always better prefer one by the following brands: Asus, Club 3D, MSI, Powercolor and Sapphire; Asus and Sapphire models are mostly diffused. The models by MSI and Sapphire include a coupon to download a free complete copy of the game DiRT 2 from Steam, really suggested.
An amount of 1 GB of graphic memory is the best compromise. Rarely you'll saturate it with a mainstream graphic card like that, because with really heavy games what's needed is more graphic power with higher resolutions, then is needed more graphic memory. In very few cases and with very few games like GTA IV and Metro 2033 2 GB of RAM memory are more needed.

The only thing I'm worrying about is the PSU. I need one, which clearly suits and that the dimensions are nearly the same ones, like of my current one.

Most of the sold PSUs have the same standard sizes, no worry about this.

[matt1314]

Okay, but for games like Shift, Crashtime III, FSX, Dirt 2 etc. this graphics card is enough to get a high or at least a good frame rate, right? And this card won't get weaker throughout the year? Maybe I'll get the one by Sapphire with a full copy of Dirt 2, that sounds like a really nice offer.

And about the PSU, I can buy one which I like and I don't need to be afraid that it won't suit into the slot, where there's my current one, right?

[Franch88]

Okay, but for games like Shift, Crashtime III, FSX, Dirt 2 etc. this graphics card is enough to get a high or at least a good frame rate, right? And this card won't get weaker throughout the year? Maybe I'll get the one by Sapphire with a full copy of Dirt 2, that sounds like a really nice offer.

With this graphic card you can play most of the recent graphic games with a good frame rate, sure more than 30 FPS for most of the times, but is really important the used screen resolution: using a screen resolution of 1280x1024 you won't get such problems, going higher an FPS lowering can well happen, especially with the heavy game scenes. NFS Shift and DiRT 2 could give some lagging problem with the maximum game graphic settings and pretty high screen resolutions; in the case of DiRT 2 if you enable the DirectX 11 support you'll get a pretty high FPS lowering, getting very little in graphic quality. Crash Time III isn't heavy in graphic, and FSX is a pretty old game, sure no lagging problems with it, too.
You system has well 6 GB of RAM memory, useless for most of the uses, including with the games ones, so no problems about this. The PC producers emphasize the amount of RAM memory just for marketing, and pretty the same is also with the graphic cards.
This graphic card was released in October 2009, and it's the best but of a mainstream range graphic card, it hasn't neither a valid competitor from Nvidia. Get the one by Sapphire, it's also one of the most diffused models, so should be easy to find it also in a real computer shop.

And about the PSU, I can buy one which I like and I don't need to be afraid that it won't suit into the slot, where there's my current one, right?

Yes, don't be afraid about this.

[matt1314]

Okay, then it's clear now. I'll get the Sapphire HD5770 with hopefully the full copy of Dirt 2 at the end of May with the new PSU. I hope I will be able to build them in. BTW there aren't any better graphics cards as mine by Nvidia like the HD5770? Does ATI make better graphics cards than Nvidia or vice-versa?
I heard that the FPS rate on FSX doesn't fully depend from the graphics card, but mostly from the CPU. Is my CPU a good one for FSX? I read on the web that overclocking my Core 2 Quad Q8200 would be too dangerous for it...

[Franch88]

BTW there aren't any better graphics cards as mine by Nvidia like the HD5770? Does ATI make better graphics cards than Nvidia or vice-versa?

As I told you, Nvidia hasn't a competitor for this graphic card in the same generation, becasue its newer GeForce GTX470 and GTX480 are part of the enthusiast using range, made for real PC gamers and to use with heavy and recent games played with the maximum settings possible. From some testings, they aren't really good at the end, they came out in the marketing after well 6 months than the ATI Radeon HD 5XXX graphic cards, and especially they're too expensive, consume more, heat more and also give a bit worse performances respectively than the ATI Radeon HD 5970 and the ATI Radeon HD 5870, their competitors in the same using range, with most of the games usually used in graphic cards benchmarking. An example: the ATI Radeon HD 5970 consumes and heats less than the Nvidia GeForce GTX480, and it gives better perfomances with games, at least about 25 FPS in more, especially with really high screen resolutions like 2048x1236 pixels and the Full HD one. Funny thing is that the Nvidia ones gives better performances with lower screen resolutions, but with a such use these powerful graphic cards are useless and wasted. This all from some testings that I've seen.
If you have to choose a Nvidia graphic card, you should to take a now old GeForce GTX275, that hasn't some advantages of the current ATI models.
Take my suggestion, hoping that everything goes well, your system components aren't that old for this graphic card, you won't regret.

I heard that the FPS rate on FSX doesn't fully depend from the graphics card, but mostly from the CPU. Is my CPU a good one for FSX? I read on the web that overclocking my Core 2 Quad Q8200 would be too dangerous for it...

Yeah, should be so becasue of the kind of game that it is, it should be because of the phisics. Your CPU is a quad core, but I have no idea if the game can uise all the CPU cores. However, I think that's enough, and 2,33 GHz of working frequency is good.
Your HP PC sure has a so bad motherboard to don't allow to do overclocking, better throw away this idea. Exists very good motherboards made for this purpose.

[matt1314]

Okay, thanks for clarifying everything, mate! So I hope for the best, I'll let you know, how it'll go.

[smithdwsn]

Yes, you can easily update your graphics card. It will increase performance in graphics and it widely used when you are playing a game. So you have to update easily with the given instruction on the disk.